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Introducing Senior Artist VIP
Michael Webster - Former Solo Clarinetist in Rochester Philharmonic, Acclaimed Soloist and Chamber Music Performer; Professor of Clarinet at Rice University in Houston, Texas
email: mwebster@rice.edu
Biography
Webster's recital career began at Town Hall in 1968 with his
eminent father, Beveridge Webster, as pianist. That same year he
won Young Concert Artists' International Competition and became
Principal Clarinetist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since then he has performed in all of New York City's major
halls, across the United States, and in Canada, South America,
Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He has appeared as
guest artist at the 92nd Street “Y", Da Camera of Houston, and
Context. High Fidelity/Musical America placed his CRI recording
of American clarinet music on its Best Recordings list and
Artists International selected him for its Distinguished Artist
Award.
Webster has served as Acting Principal Clarinetist of the San
Francisco Symphony, Music Director of the Society for Chamber
Music in Rochester, Founder and Music Director of Chamber Music
Ann Arbor, and Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Eastman
School of Music, from which he earned three degrees. In 1988 he
became a member of the conducting faculty at the New England
Conservatory and taught clarinet both there and at Boston
University. He has also taught at the San Francisco
Conservatory, the Yale Summer School at Norfolk, Aria
International Academy, the Boston University Tanglewood
Institute, and the Johannesen International School of the Arts.
He was Music Director of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra,
Assistant Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra under Yehudi
Menuhin, and guest conducted several Boston-area orchestras
before joining the University of Michigan faculty as Adjunct
Professor of Conducting and Director of the Michigan Youth
Symphony Orchestra in 1993.
Michael Webster, clarinet
In demand as a clinician, Webster has presented master classes at such institutions as the Manhattan School of Music, Florida State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Louisiana State University, the Puerto Rico Conservatory (San Juan), the University of Victoria (Wellington, New Zealand), Senzoku Gakuen (Tokyo, Japan), the University of Washington, the UMKC Conservatory of Music (Kansas City), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He has also served as a coach for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (in Brazil, Venezuela and Belgium), the National Youth Orchestra Festival (Sarasota) and at Banff for the International Festival of Youth Orchestras.
With his wife, flutist Leone Buyse, and pianist Robert Moeling he plays in the Webster Trio, represented on Crystal Records by Tour de France, and World Wide Webster. With pianist Chizuko Sawa, the Webster Trio Japan has released Sonata Cho-Cho San on the Nami label. All of these discs feature Webster's trio arrangements which, along with his original compositions, are published by International Music Company, Schott, and G. Schirmer. Webster also appears on the Arabesque, Bridge, Centaur, and CRI labels. Highly regarded as a pedagogue, he is a member of the editorial staff of The Clarinet magazine, contributing a regular column entitled “Teaching Clarinet.” Webster is a Buffet-Crampon USA artist, playing Buffet clarinets exclusively.
In 2009, along with colleagues Alan R Kay (Juilliard School and State University at Stony Brook), and Stephen Williamson, Solo Clarinetist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, organized the Clarinetopia program, now just past its 2nd year with landmark success.
New Information Under development
Message from Michael Webster
Agendas and Performance and Teaching Philosophy
Upcoming Events and Workshops
Recordings
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Revised: January 13, 2019